HELLLLP! My Chicken Just barfed!

[kimboolah]

Yesterday I found an egg on the floor of the coop and thought nothing of it. Just picked it up and kept going. Birdies seemed fine. This morning I went out to let them out and collect the eggs and I hung around and waited for two that were in the nest boxes to lay two more. While I was waiting, I noticed one of my RIR in the yard standing stock still, but having rhythmic contractions/movements of her bottom area--could see the feathers moving. So, finally the two in the nesting boxes finished and I went to pick up the one in the yard, as she had laid down right in the middle of the yard. When I picked her up, she didn't protest, but she barfed alot of liquid--they don't have a waterer in the coop at night, so it's possible she drank alot of water just as I let them out, and I felt her butt and abdomen and she doesn't act like she has an egg stuck or even rolling down the road, if you know what I mean......Her crop feels ok. Do you think it was just alot of water? Should I isolate her?

I am freaking out! This has been a good bunch of chooks--haven't lost one!

 

[Chicken Fruit]

My chickens dont get water in their coop at night either- no matter how I put it in there they dump it out of muck it up. As a result they gorge themselves on water in the morning when I let them out. It takes them a long while to get it settled. If I pick them up when tehyre doing their stalk-still-waiting -for-it-to-settle stance the pressure of my picking them up makes it all come back out.

Chicks do the same thing, remember that? It even comes out their nose, just from them walking away from the waterer before they've swallowed it all into the crop?

If its not something that simple it could be she has something lodged in her throat and nothing WILL go down. Watch her eating and see if she is able to swallow food for real.

 

[kimboolah]

Thanks for your fast reply. I trudged back out there, fearing the worst, and they are all FINE and the barfer is in the nesting box. She hollered for me to get out of there, so I did. But I think you are right. Gorged herself and I picked her up at a bad time. I am a nurse, so barf doesn't usually upset me, but I thought one of my baby chooks was gonna die! I swear, these birds are better than prozac.

All is well at Beta Theta Peep.

yay!